Dell's AMD Fusion-based Inspiron M102z laptop is now available for Australian customers at a starting price of $599. It's an 11.6in laptop that can be configured with either the entry-level 1GHz AMD C-50 APU or the slightly more powerful 1.6GHz AMD E-350 APU.

Users can opt to configure the netbook with either 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM (1067MHz), but the only storage option is a 320GB, 7200rpm hard drive. As the Inspiron M102z is an ultralight laptop, it doesn't come with a built-in optical drive, but an external one can be purchased separately.

The native resolution of the laptop is 1366x768, but as the netbook ships with an HDMI port, you can easily plug it in to a big-screen TV or monitor. The graphics processor is built in to the AMD APU and it varies depending on the model you choose: for the AMD C-50, you get AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics, while for the AMD E-350, you get AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics.

Dell ships the Inspiron M102z with a 6-cell, 56 Watt-hour battery that is stated to give the netbook up to nine hours of battery life, but an optional 9-cell, 90 Watt-hour battery is available, and Dell states that this can provide almost 14 hours of life.

The connectivity options of the Inspiron M102z are standard: you get the aforementioned HDMI port, as well as 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, three USB 2.0 ports, 10/100 Ethernet, VGA, an SD card reader and microphone and headphone ports.

The Inspiron M102z has a claimed weight of 1.56kg with the 6-cell battery, and is 205mm wide, 35mm thick and 292mm deep. You can check it out on Dell's Web site.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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